Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

While the Headmistress was speechless, moved by my grand plan, I placed the report I had prepared in front of her.

"What… is this?"

"It's a report on pioneering future revenue streams for the long-term financial surplus and sustainability of Grandis Academy."

"…Just say it's a way to receive bribes."

"Then I will."

Normally, it's standard practice to sugarcoat things like this.

I tried imitating how the administration professors titled their papers, but the Headmistress truly didn't understand people's hearts.

Anyway.

"As you can see in the current report, very few of our Grandis Academy faculty members accept bribes. Even those who do, it's honestly not even worth calling it a bribe."

"We've strived to operate as cleanly as possible."

"As expected of the Headmistress."

"It's creepy when the Finance Director says that. Stop gilding it and be honest."

"As expected of the Headmistress."

"..."

The Headmistress looked at me with a suspicious gaze, but this was my genuine feeling. For an organization of this size, even with the unique nature of an academy, to be clean? It was practically a miracle.

Of course, this wasn't because of Grandis Academy's pride in being the kingdom's best or the faculty's unwavering integrity.

It was simply because the salaries were damn high.

'There's no reason to take bribes.'

When you're getting paid more than five times the industry standard just for doing your basic work, why would you bother with bribes?

You might say human greed is endless, and that's true. And this is where one of the Headmistress's few strengths comes into play.

She was the absolute ruler of the academy.

'According to the bribery reports so far, the Headmistress has fired anyone involved in bribery without exception, ever since the academy was founded.'

You want to risk getting fired for a big payoff? Sorry, but this world isn't governed by the rule of law.

The Headmistress was someone even the king couldn't treat lightly, a celebrity with immense social influence, and a respected figure due to her upright character.

Unlike in some countries where you could get away with a minor fine even after a major offense, if you were fired for bribery here, all the bribes would be confiscated, of course. And where would you hide them? Once fired, the kingdom's court, not wanting to cross the Headmistress, would imprison the culprit and subject them to all sorts of interrogations.

Naturally, if they didn't confess quickly, they wouldn't leave with all their limbs intact. And even if they gave up and spilled everything, not only the bribes but also their entire assets would be seized, leaving them penniless. The ruined social reputation was just a bonus.

This isn't a prediction of what might happen—it's what actually happened. In the early days of the academy's establishment, there were many instances of bribery, but such measures put a stop to it.

In other words, not only did they not earn so little that they needed to resort to bribes, but the risks of getting caught were simply too great.

As this pattern repeated, noble families and merchants gave up on trying to bribe their way into Grandis Academy. There was no guarantee that the enraged Headmistress wouldn't drop by their territories.

'That's probably why Lisha didn't immediately understand my bribe request.'

The Headmistress's closest aide, known for her unforgiving stance on bribes, was demanding a bribe? She must have thought, "Is this for real?"

I'm confident that Lisha and the Claudia Margrave family currently see me as either crazy or incompetent.

They probably think I'm a young and inexperienced person who suddenly gained the Headmistress's favor and became the Finance Director, and now I'm getting carried away with my position.

And that's exactly what I wanted.

They would shower me with bribes to control an incompetent person.

"Headmistress, what do you think a bribe is?"

"…? It's the root of evil that corrodes an organization."

"Wrong. Bribery is the art of relationships."

"…Finance Director, have you been overworked? Maybe you should take a vacation."

"I'm perfectly fine, Headmistress."

"People with mental illnesses always say they're fine. Don't worry. I won't give up until the Finance Director is fully recovered!"

Should I be impressed by the Headmistress's loyalty, or should I flick her forehead for genuinely starting to think I'm mentally ill?

Choosing the latter would likely result in a fractured finger, so I wisely opted for the former.

After somehow dissuading the Headmistress, who was tearing up and trying to take me to the infirmary, I continued.

"Headmistress, let's say you received bribes from two nobles, A and B."

"Yes."

"Bribes aren't given for free, right? If you receive something, you're obligated to fulfill A and B's requests. That way, you can maintain the relationship and continue receiving bribes."

"That's… true."

"But what if A wants C, and B also wants C?"

"What?"

"You can't split C in half and give it to both of them. What would you do, Headmistress?"

"…I would never accept bribes, but if I did, I would give it to the one who gave me more."

"That's right. But then your relationship with A would improve, while your relationship with B would deteriorate. They might even stop giving you bribes. They give bribes because they want something, so why would they continue if they can't get what they want?"

"What are you trying to say? Summarize it in three lines, or I'll really send you to the infirmary."

"The real answer is to prevent such situations from arising in the first place."

Bribes usually have a clear purpose. For example, requests for admission or grade manipulation, there's always an ultimate goal.

Of course, they might make 'minor' requests in between, but the ultimate goal remains unchanged. So how do you handle it?

You only accept bribes from those whose ultimate goals don't overlap.

"What does that…?"

"The situation where both A and B want C is fundamentally flawed."

Naturally, minor requests can overlap. For example, even if you refuse a request for a slight advantage in cheating, it wouldn't lead to them stopping the bribes. The sunk cost of the bribe prevents that.

But if you reject the fundamental reason for the bribe, their ultimate goal, they'll have no choice but to stop.

That's what we need to prevent. Understanding the psychology of those giving bribes and managing the relationships accordingly.

That's why bribery was the art of relationships.

"You sound like you've received a lot of bribes yourself."

"It's just your imagination. I'm an orphan, you know."

"Ugh…"

The all-purpose orphan excuse strikes again. No matter what the other person suspects, if I preemptively insult myself, it shuts them up for a while.

Anyway, there was only one reason why I kept talking about bribes, something the Headmistress didn't like.

"So, please allow me to accept righteous bribes."

"Don't you think that sounds like nonsense even as you say it?"

"It does, but our situation is what it is."

"…Ugh."

In the end, it was all the Headmistress's own doing. If she had managed the finances properly, we wouldn't be in a situation where we had to accept bribes to cover the budget.

And more importantly…

"This might be a bit awkward to say, but."

"…?"

"At least bribes are much more profitable and stable than futures trading."

"Cough!"

Oh, the Headmistress fainted. I didn't use it for long, but please wake up soon.

As I patted the shoulder of the Headmistress, who had collapsed like a corpse while shedding tears, her expression seemed quite complex.

Regret for how things had turned out, yet a determination not to compromise on the money spent for the quality of education, and a sense of guilt for having to accept bribes that she had so vehemently opposed.

And also.

Bribes and budget.

One step, a big one forward.

"I… allow it."

"Headmistress."

"I'm sorry, Finance Director. If I had managed the finances properly, you wouldn't have to bear the stigma of accepting bribes…"

If that were the case, I wouldn't have become the Finance Director in the first place.

Of course, I had some tact, so I didn't say it out loud.

"I trust the Finance Director! I believe you will revive this academy! So feel free to accept bribes. I'll protect you, Finance Director, no matter what!"

The words of the Headmistress, who had truly taken a step forward, sounded like a heartfelt confession.

It was a declaration that she would stand by me until the end, even if I faced fierce opposition from the faculty for accepting countless bribes in the future.

At first glance, it might seem like simple words, but they resonated deeply because they came from the Headmistress, who had always abhorred bribes.

That's why…

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"…Huh? Well, because you'll be receiving all sorts of bribes from now on."

"Didn't I tell you earlier? Bribery is the art of relationships. But what's with the sudden…"

Ah.

Could it be?

"Did you perhaps think I was going to hold some grand bribery festival?"

"…What?"

"Headmistress, bribes aren't simply given when you ask for them. There needs to be persuasion and mutual interests involved. And since we need to avoid overlapping goals, there won't be many places to receive bribes from."

"Then…?"

"I'm anticipating about three places. We've already agreed to receive from Lady Lisha, so there are two left."

"B-but we could get caught. If someone notices suspicious money flow…"

"…Headmistress, what's my position?"

"Ah."

You're the one who manages the academy's finances? Me.

The academy's accountant? Me.

The one who grasps the entirety of the academy's money flow? Me.

Frankly, if I hadn't reported it, even the Headmistress wouldn't have known if I took bribes. After all, I'm the one who writes and manages the ledger.

"..."

While the Headmistress, defeated in a slightly different sense this time, buried her face in the table with her ears bright red,

I cleared my throat.

"I trust the Finance Director!"

"S-stop."

"I believe the Finance Director will truly revive this academy!"

"Please, please."

"I'll protect you, Finance Director, no matter what!"

"Stooooooop!!!!"

Ah, this is fun.

Work stress should be relieved like this.

******

The Headmistress clenched her fist and punched my chest, almost causing rib and sternum fractures, but I managed to dodge in time.

The injury itself wasn't a big deal, but having to go to the infirmary was the problem.

'I'd rather resign than go to that crazy woman's place.'

How could someone like that become the head of the medical department? No matter how important skills were, having someone with a personality inversely proportional to their abilities in the infirmary was just…

But personality aside, she was someone to admire in terms of workplace survival. She was the second youngest after me, but her madness was so overwhelming that no one dared to say anything.

Could I also unleash my madness as the Finance Director? What could I do? Blow up the budget?

'The working-level staff would try to kill me, so let's not.'

It was a bit sad being Rank 1 at times like this. If they were going to drop me into a game world, they could have at least given me a modest Rank 8 or something.

Even though I had the triple protection of the all-purpose orphan excuse, the Finance Director position, and being the Headmistress's closest aide, it was still a bit disappointing.

Lost in idle thoughts, I walked, and soon reached my destination within the vast academy.

'The dormitory for successful applicants.'

The results of the entrance exam were out immediately. The Chief Examiner must have been impressed by my persuasion skills because she worked fast.

It was a place where the prospective students, already accepted and relaxed in various ways, stayed until they took the retake exam later, which served as a kind of second chance.

The two remaining bribe candidates were both likely to be here. They weren't from families wealthy enough to have their own exclusive dormitories like the Claudias.

"This is Grandis Academy…!! I can't believe I actually got in!!"

"Want to take a tour around? The seniors gave us this booklet, and it says there are a lot of good places to eat."

"Can't we enter the central library yet? We'll have to wait until the entrance ceremony."

"Yes, Mom! I passed!"

The area around the dormitory for successful applicants was filled with prospective students wearing bright smiles. There were students overwhelmed with emotion, students looking around curiously, students already diving into their studies, and students contacting their parents through magic tools.

They had every right to be proud. A diploma from Grandis Academy didn't guarantee a smooth path in life, but it would certainly put them in a much more advantageous position compared to others.

Moreover, there was the famous "Grandis Cartel," where Grandis Academy graduates supported each other in various workplaces. If you went to a rural territory, you could probably get a clerk position just with the diploma alone.

'I was like that once too.'

It had already been a few years. Thinking back to my past self, now that I was in a high position, brought a wry smile to my face.

The naive me back then didn't know.

'I should have invested in the southern rock salt mine back then.'

I had only heard rumors about the rock salt mine, but who would have thought it would skyrocket in value within a year?

I could have been living the easy life if I had. You're asking if I should invest now? The futures trading that the Headmistress blew two years' worth of budget on was related to that very rock salt mine.

Considering its surge in the past few years and its current plummet, I probably would have held onto it, hoping for it to rise again, even if I had invested back then. Yeah, it's better this way.

"Excuse me, I need to show my acceptance letter to enter the dormitory…"

"Hey, you crazy bastard! Bow your head quickly! F-Finance Director Adam! I sincerely apologize! This idiot is still new, so he made a mistake!"

"F-Finance Director!? I've committed a grave sin!"

"You missed it. Who's in charge of the guards here? If it's the 3rd Security Unit, isn't it Russell?"

"I'm truly sorry! Please, just a disciplinary action!"

"We apologize!!"

"I'm just kidding. You were just doing your job. What disciplinary action? But remember the faces of the Medical Director and the Chief Examiner, at least. If you mess with them, you know what'll happen, right?"

"Yes, sir!!!"

"Alright, carry on."

At least for now, I was in a position to give such valuable advice.

The guard, who failed to recognize the 4-star official under the academy's president, the Headmistress, looked relieved to have survived, but looking at his senior next to him, it seemed like he wouldn't get off easy.

I patted his shoulder in sympathy and entered the dormitory. The guards' voices were unusually loud, so the prospective students' eyes were drawn to us, but it wasn't a big deal.

Unlike the Medical Director or even the Chief Examiner, there was no reason for a student and the Finance Director to interact. We would just pass each other by.

After the commotion, the guards patrolling the dormitory seemed particularly tense, but anyway…

Knowing which dormitory my target was in, I headed straight there—

"You're Finance Director Adam Keynes, right?"

"Hmm?"

"I found you."

Suddenly, someone grabbed my sleeve from within the crowd.

The person was wearing a cloak with the hood pulled down low. From their voice, I could tell it was a woman, but nothing else gave away their identity.

If they were a staff member, they would be wearing the characteristic uniform or badge, but they weren't.

'Wait, someone who already knows my face, a newly admitted applicant, and can speak informally to me, and isn't a staff member…!!'

I was a bit skeptical, but there was only one possibility left.

Amidst the crowd passing us by, I quietly bowed my head and whispered to the hooded figure.

"…The Finance Director of Grandis Academy greets Her Highness Princess Beatrice."

"I'm glad you're quick on the uptake."

Amatriuss Delphia Beatrice.

The princess of the neighboring Delphia Kingdom, and nominally, she came to Grandis Academy for study abroad, but in reality, she was practically a hostage and one of the mid-bosses in the academy arc of . A mage who was looked down upon as a half-baked one, unable to control her own magic.

She appeared as an enemy but was later reformed by the protagonist and became an ally… No, whether she was a hostage or a boss in the original story wasn't my concern.

The only part I needed to focus on was one thing.

'The building destroyer!'

Being a mage who couldn't control her own magic meant

that she destroyed countless classrooms and practice rooms.

In the game, it was just a brief explanation that seemed like no big deal, but it wasn't the same for me now.

"…Finance Director? Your gaze is a bit scary."

"I'm just being cautious of our surroundings. Your Highness, let's move somewhere else for now."

"Alright."

I had encountered the greatest villain of my Finance Director life.